Thanks Pal

I'm often quick enough to bitch and complain, but credits where it's due..British Gas have gone way up in my estimation, or at least Mr J Cooper, Engineer of that parish.

Yesterday morning, the serene lady Margaret got up to make a morning drink, and noticed the house was somewhat cold...She opened the door containing the boiler and sadly was confronted with a boiler with water running down the outside.. Neither the SLM or I are qualified in any way to make prognostications about a boiler, but we knew a wrong'un when we saw it.

Fortunately we had Home insurance and SLM went online to book an engineer..we were surprised to note one would arrive at 13:00 that afternoon.

And he did!

A lovely bloke turned up, took a look at it, sucked his teeth and muttered about left outlet manifold, and set to work, fueled by my (I hope to claim not immodestly) very nice coffee. After 30 or so minutes which involved a bit of clanking, clanging and banging I ventured through, having previously been warned off by the SLM that my inexpert help was not required, and unlikely to smooth or ease the progress, to be told that it wasn't the manifold after all, but an expansive vessel (Apologies to Gas engineers and lovers of boilers if that's incorrect) and he didn't have one on the van... Hm mm But seeing it was Friday and freezing and we are old (Yes I know, you can't believe it!)he could get one from a merchants on the other side of town. He left...He came back with what I can best describe as a large pink bladder.

More coffee and about an hour said bladder was fitted, now just to connect up the hive remote and he's off home, only 30 minutes late....Oh.. That light should be green, not pink and definitely not flashing. Could I go on the website and get the chat bot so we could re-link the system.. well it didn't work, so he phoned a top secret number, got them to log in remotely, changed the receiver-ma-bob thingy with the magic pixies in, and we got a result. Your grateful author and the SLM now are in possession of a working boiler and toasty toes...and Mr Cooper got home about two & a half hours late, and he didn't once moan or complain... Congrats sir, I salute and thank you